Aside from their commonly known use as an article of feminine hygiene, tampons are used in a wide variety of medical applications. For example, after an operative procedure, tampons have been employed as a surgical dressing and in addition, German Patent No. 1,018,156 issued to Dr. med Hermann Casser, issued May 8, 1958 discloses the use of an adapted tampon for positioning a suppository in the human body.
These and other uses have stimulated development of tampon materials with improved absorbency, as well as tampon modifications to make insertion easier. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,814,099, issued to Paul Kobler on June 4, 1974, a tampon having a moisture repellent foil extending therefrom to cover a person's hand during insertion is disclosed. This foil folds back from the rear end of the tampon to provide a protective cover for the hand.
Despite these advances, tampons are still disfavored because of the discomfort during tampon withdrawal. For many women, the extraction of a catamenial tampon is uncomfortable and irritating due to the often dry state of the vaginal walls. This dryness produces a high degree of adhesion between the tampon and vaginal walls, thereby causing discomfort on withdrawal. Similarly, in surgical applications, tampon removal irritates the surrounding tender, healing body tissue.